Heritage

Our grandfather, Frank Johnson, founded Southern Star Caravans in Auckland and was building caravans from his Onehunga factory by the 1960s. The family archive shows caravans outside the F. A. Johnson factory, while the surviving brochure gives the address as 25 Alfred Street, Onehunga.

Frank went on to design the Compact A Van — an innovative folding caravan that travelled as a compact, low-profile trailer before opening into a full-height four-person caravan.

The original brochure shows how the design worked: lightweight aluminium roof panels opened into an A-frame, transforming the low trailer into an enclosed living space. When folded, it was advertised as compact enough to store in a garage or basement.

Inside, the brochure described accommodation for four on foam mattresses, storage space, a Formica-topped table and sink unit, and electric lighting. Large windows and full headroom were part of the appeal: a compact travelling footprint with room to live once parked.

From the family archive: Southern Star Caravans factory photograph and original Compact A Van brochure.

The roots of Switchback Trailers go back to early mechanical ideas drawn in SketchUp while still at school, followed by years of hands-on experience with trucks, heavy trailers and off-road machinery.

As Frank’s grandson, Larry grew up with a natural connection to designing and building practical equipment. That interest developed through years of experimenting with mechanical ideas, building things and constantly looking for better ways to make them work.

During lockdown, the first removable trailer module was built — a large BBQ and camping body designed to slide on and off an aluminium trailer. Loading it involved a basic winch system, removable legs and plenty of trial and error. It was far from refined, but it proved the value of a removable body on a practical trailer platform.

A second version followed a few years later, built on a much tighter scale and budget using leftover materials where possible. It introduced a better support system, improved usability and even a home made articulating coupling for off-road travel. These early builds were used in the real world, exposing both the strengths of the concept and the areas that could be improved.

At the same time, Larry’s professional experience was developing in the design and manufacture of heavy mining and industrial machinery. Working with modern 3D CAD, heavy fabrication, production systems and experienced manufacturing teams provided a completely different level of engineering and manufacturing knowledge.

Switchback Trailers grew from bringing those paths together — practical experience towing and using trailers off-road, lessons learned from early home-built prototypes, heavy-industry engineering experience, and a family history of building and inventing.

What began as SketchUp drawings and simple home-built trailers gradually evolved into a purpose-designed trailer platform built for demanding work, off-road travel and long-term use.